Many don’t know it, but there is a Russellville music scene. And the man who can tell you all about it is Uncle Fatty.

“There have always been a lot of good musicians around Russellville, but up until a few years ago, there was never any place for them to play,” Matt Ritchie said when asked about the role he has played in the local music scene.

Ritchie, whose stage name is Poor Old Uncle Fatty, began booking shows for Bugsy’s Wings and Things in Russellville three years ago.

“I used to come out here back when it was called the Supper Club,” Ritchie explained. “I’d play pool and listen to people sing karaoke, but there wasn’t really any live music. I got to know the owners and they wanted to start going towards have shows on the weekends.”

Richie began hosting “Sunday night with Fatty and Friends” which showcased local musicians. Ritchie said the for-fun show was his way of giving the talented musicians around Russellville a stage to play on.

“I met so many talented musicians around here,” he said. “These people needed a place to play and someone to book shows for them, so that’s where we started. We started booking original artists from the state and eventually moved on to having regional acts that were on tour as well.”

Bugsy’s isn’t the only stage that’s cropped up in the Russellville area. Front Street Grill in Dardanelle has played host to live music over the past few years, as well as The Cavern, which sits nestled in downtown Russellville near the train depot.

“The Cavern is sort of like a Boys and Girls Club for musicians,” Ritchie said. “It’s owned by Shawn and James Thurber, who got involved in the music scene a few years back. A lot of local bands practice and play there.”

Which is a good thing, according to Ritchie. Most of the music opportunities in Russellville are stale, in his opinion.

“A lot of these dives don’t showcase original talent,” he explained. “They want the same old cover bands singing Lynyrd Skynyrd and new country.”

Music is Ritchie’s passion, but it’s not his job. He hasn’t made a single dime for his efforts — it really is a labor of love.

“I don’t do the booking very much these days,” he said. “It just got to where it was demanding all my time. I’ve got a job and two daughters. It was getting to where it was taking away from them.”

Sunday nights with Fatty and Friends still happens at 8 p.m. every Sunday at Bugsy’s, but for the most part, Ritchie simply joins in on the musician side. He just finished recording his new album, “Sad Songs for the Drunken Hearted.”

“Music is something I’ve always had a passion for,” he said. “When I was married, I didn’t have time for it, but in the last three years I’ve taken it up as a hobby more than anything. I’ve got responsibilities to handle. It’d be nice to hit the road and play all over the place, but I think that’s something you’re supposed to do before you have kids. I just play here locally.”

Musically, Ritchie keeps it simple — three- or four-chord songs with the emphasis squarely on the lyrics.

“I like to call it Americana,” Ritchie said. “It’s kind of a mixture of country and folk with a southern edge. It is about the lyrics more than anything. None of my songs are complicated. It’s just a catchy melody that’s easy to put chords to. ”

Music has been a part of his life since he was 11 when his grandfather gifted him a guitar. Richie said he began playing whatever he heard on the radio.

“I’ve always had a good ear for music,” he said. “I could play something I heard on the radio a few minutes after I heard it.”